Admission: $30 in advance online, $35 at the door. For age 21 and older.

Details: wineinthepines.chirrpy.com.

By Brandon LoomisThe Republic | azcentral.comFri Jun 7, 2013 10:59 AM

Arizona’s wine industry is growing rapidly, and 19 of the state’s winemakers will gush about Southwestern grapes at a tasting festival next weekend in Pinetop-Lakeside.

What started as a craft industry in the 1970s and 1980s is expanding like few other rural businesses, and the state now has 78 licensed wineries, according to the Arizona Wine Growers Association. Their output more than doubled from 89,000 gallons in 2011 to 181,000 in 2012. Production and demand have blossomed in the wake of a number of 90-plus ratings from Wine Spectator, association executive director Patti King said.

“We’ve really made the mark,” King said.

The association will toast that progress and expand awareness among wine fans with Wine in the Pines, a festival in the orchard behind Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse on June 15-16. Tickets include a commemorative glass and tastings from 10 wineries. Visitors can purchase tickets for additional tastings. The event is for age 21 and older.

Arizona’s advantage is, not surprisingly, its climate. The sunny skies help, especially at higher elevations such as those around Elgin in southern Arizona (4,700 feet), where Lori Reynolds operates Sonoita Vineyards. Temperatures rarely exceed 98 degrees, she said, and crisp, cool nights help the vines produce great sugars.

“We’re not cooking the grapes here,” she said.

Her winery, which is participating in Wine in the Pines, is known for Cabernet Sauvignon but also produces Burgundy, Bourdeaux, Sangiovese and others. The acidic soil helps the vines, she said.

Her grandfather, Gordon Dutt, was a University of Arizona soils scientist who tested soils around the state for grape cultivation and started Sonoita Vineyards in 1979 because of what he found there. The soil was reminiscent of some French wine-growing regions, she said.

She now produces about 4,000 cases a year — 9,500 gallons — and is eager to introduce northern Arizonans to her wines.

“I’m excited because it gives me a new audience,” she said. “Up north I’m sure they don’t drive all the way to Santa Cruz County for wine tastings.”

The festival also will offer wine-themed Arizona products including glassware, chocolates, olives and olive oils.

Pinetop-Lakeside worked to attract the Arizona Wine Growers Association event to draw Valley residents out of the summer heat and to expose locals to the state’s wine culture.

“It’s quite popular in the Verde Valley area, and that’s so close to us,” Pinetop-Lakeside tourism spokeswoman Debe Campbell said. “But it’s still kind of unknown here.”

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